It would be the last public teaching of Jesus as recorded by Matthew. The teaching that follows is Jesus alone with His disciples. Jesus had held out God’s tender forgiveness to all. And even as His words now spoken to the crowds and His disciples come as sledge hammer blows there is the offer for the foolish to gain wisdom, for the…
Having failed separately to discredit Jesus, the Pharisees and the Sadducees band together to take Jesus down. That they would set aside their animosity for each other shows how vehemently they hated Jesus. From this strange union a lawyer steps forward to test Jesus with the question “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” Jesus responds with Deuteronomy 6:5 as…